Season Opener Public Relations Event in San Diego County Spreads News of California Avocado Availability

California avocado growers in the San Diego region are among the first to harvest their fruit, providing local grocers and consumers with a first taste of the season’s fresh crop. To generate excitement and build awareness among San Diego area shoppers about the start of the California avocado season, the California Avocado Commission invited nine well known San Diego-focused influencers on a grove tour and retail sampling event.

The Commission partnered with social media personalities recognized for their interest in great food, healthy lifestyles, sustainability focus and a talent for showcasing unique San Diego opportunities their followers can try for themselves. The influencers included Sophie Chu, Ashely Diedenhofen, Ellie Ferdowsi, Sierra Georgistis, Jas Grover, Arianna Kotlier, Reyna Pizarro, Robin Plotnik and Marie Reginato.

Starting in the early morning in Del Mar, the influencers traveled to Fairfield Farms in Pauma Valley and enjoyed an informative session about California avocados, sustainable production, grower histories and the upcoming season. Upon their arrival, California avocado grower Spencer Steed took the influencers on a walking and wagon tour of the grove, providing an overview of the operation, his family’s agricultural background and the organic and sustainable growing practices they employ. As influencers toured the grove and picked fresh California avocados, they captured the moments with creatively staged photography that were shared across their social channels to help announce the start of California avocado season.

After the tour, the social media personalities visited the Del Mar location of CAC retail partner for the event, Gelson’s, and participated in the year’s first California avocado sampling event. California avocado grower and packer Jessica Hunter (Del Rey Avocado Company) and Andy Lyall (Lyall Family Farms) were on hand to share their own growing experiences as the influencers captured additional photos and video.

Each of the influencers shared their unique behind-the-scenes California avocado grove tour and sampling experiences with their followers in a visually captivating manner, coupling the imagery with messaging that celebrated the start of the California avocado season, the locally grown nature of the fruit and the sustainable farming practices of the growers.

By partnering with hyperlocal San Diego social media influencers with large followings, the Commission was able to effectively target consumers in regions where they could purchase some of the first California avocados of the season. The campaign, which will continue in the weeks ahead, is expected to generate 1.5 million impressions and build demand for and excitement about the upcoming season.

Additional public relations activity is also now underway in other key California avocado markets and will be reported on at a later date.